Crumbling At Your Heels
by Mrs.Hophman
Summary: Luka is torn between two people she can never have, but she has more than her heart on the line with a lethal pandemic, Machiavellian politics, and betrayal. GakupoLukaPrima with other assorted pairings, yaoi yuri and het.
1. Completely Disease Free

Crumbling At Your Heels Prologue  


* * *

"You are tuned into WVOC, currently broadcasting live from Miku Hatsune's memorial concert. The young star who tragically fallen to the 0HZ virus-"

-click-

"Next, we'll continue with Ms. Hatsune's 17th most popular song of her terribly short life, Melt. This was one of her first hits, and a fan-"

-click-

"0HZ pandemic is estimated to have claimed several million lives worldwide, but medical experts are still divided on its origin and transmission of the dreaded disease. We're sure you've been hearing these precations for weeks, but we'll give the run-down again before we move onto interviews with foreign victims. First and foremost, avoid physical contact with anyone who experiences the symptoms..."

Luka Megurine sighed. '_Finally, a radio station that isn't hung up on that dead idol. People are dying everywhere and all they can talk about is one singer._'

The girl eyed the items on her bed carefully; she wouldn't be able to take all of her things to where she was moving. Not that she minded- the world had been cast into a rage because of that plague, the '0HZ pandemic', they called it. Things like which outfit she wanted to keep, or which shoes should be trashed were no longer important to her. She never had that much of a mind for fashion or a care for material items, anyway. Living on her own for practically all her life had imprinted her with a sense of frugality.

"And the most important thing of all, _don't_ attempt to save the victums of their suffe-"

-click-

She turned the radio off and set it in her single suitcase.

_'Well, with the radio packed, I don't suppose I should hang around here anymore.'_

The young woman gave her apartment one last look around before deeming it ready to depart from. She took the small suitcase that would be the only thing that would stay with her, and shut her apartment door for the last time.

'I have the papers, right?' she suddenly thought. Luka checked her pockets- good, she had them. She had been hired as a maid of the prestigious Eaves family under the pretense that she could prove herself completely disease free, most importantly of the 0HZ virus. Luka assumed that even if the job didn't pay well, she didn't have to worry about being infected. Luka hadn't known anyone personally who had the disease, but then again, Luka really didn't know anyone. She had heard stories, though, about the slow loss of movement and muscle fatigue, general deterioration. And it hurt like hell.

She exited the run-down apartment building where she had lived for the past few years, and walked down the deserted street without turning back. It was a nice day, she noticed, but even the friendly sun couldn't convince the paranoid masses to take a stroll. At least the buses were running. The Eaves Estate was quite a ways outside the city.

* * *

"And you bothered to tell me this _because_..?" a snappy question was followed by another's heavy sigh, which originated from young man with astonishingly long violet hair. At that moment, he wasn't feeling particularly patient with his companion.

"She will be the new maid for the time being, and it wouldn't do for you to call security when you see her face, and know not of her purpose." Gakupo drawled lazily.

"Well, it wouldn't be the first time someone was found on my family's estate, trying in vain to hide from this sickness." Prima stated tartly. She reached into her hair and began to twirl a curly black lock. She stood straight and held her chin up. She was the picture of dignity, undeniably beautiful with her expensive clothes and delicate, feminine face.

Gakupo reclined rather inelegantly onto one of the ornate sofas in that particular parlor. "I hope your mother found one of respectable background- that Haku girl was caught swiping some candlesticks. We should have known, she looked like she was hired straight off the streets." he mused.

Prima sat down beside him, with her usual fine posture. "I wonder when Mother will start calling in our relatives. I think one of those gossipy cousins would be much preferred company than you, today." she added, with a playful smile.

"People tire of each other's company if they spend too much time together. Your family's already held me here a week, and we know they're hoping we'll want to get married. Already worked with your sister and that guy Al."

Prima glanced at the door, then responded, "It's rather irritating how she pines away for him. He's in some other country on business, last time I heard. Miriam... always shining her engagement ring and prattling about love. How ridiculous."

Gakupo scoffed, "Hardly a way to act for a mature lady." His eyesight strayed to the clock, chosen to complement the designer wallpaper. "Speaking of ladies, _she_ should be here any minute."

"I wait with bated breath." Prima muttered sarcastically.

"I don't have very high hopes for her, you know how the working class can be." Gakupo said offhandedly. "She's probably just as unreliable as the rest of the maids, or worse."

Just then, that pair heard a distant voice from the adjacent hallway. "...thank you, Ma'am. I'll go introduce myself." The unfamiliar female's words grew closer.

"Punctual." Gakupo noted, and assumed a more stately pose.

The doorknob turned slowly, and a fairly tall young woman stepped into the room. She had already adhered to the Eaves' servant's dress code- only shades from black to white. Her peach hair was pulled back into a low ponytail. "Ah, good afternoon, Ms... Eaves." The new maid stood rather awkwardly in front of the door, smoothing her skirt.

"_Prima_ Eaves. My companion is Gakupo Kamui, perhaps you've heard of the Kamui family? They're involved in some smaller-scale politics."

"My name is Luka Megurine."

"Hm. Why don't you sit over there," Gakupo gestured, "and we'll get to know you? You've already had your interview, I assume, but we're interested as well."

Luka sat down rather stiffly across from them. She was rather intimidated by the richly dressed girl and apparently professional man, but wouldn't show it.

"So, have any family?" Gakupo asked. Luka kept her blue eyes locked onto his own.

"No."

"So, you are an orphan?" Prima cut in, as she inspected the young woman with lowered lashes.

"No, I have lived on my own." Luka answered, her hands fidgeting slightly in her lap.

"Married?"

"No."

"Have any children?"

"No."

"And this is all you have?" Gakupo motioned towards the suitcase by her feet.

"Yes."

Gakupo stroked his chin, and gave a smirk for but an instant. "Well, you've just been hired up to a little prestige, considered that background."

Prima was intently gazing at Luka, unsure of what to think. Her clothes were decent, her accent unusual but not unpleasant... but there was something off about the new maid. Differences in the mind, things that could not be easily perceived. "Nice to make your acquaintance, Luka."

A rather awkward silence followed.

Luka broke it tentatively, choosing each word with care. "I'm very sorry, but what would you like to be addressed as-"

"Gakupo is fine. Mr. Kamui is my father." He stated nonchalantly.

"Ah, I suppose I'm just Prima. Like Gakupo, my parents go by Mr. Leon Eaves, Mrs. Ann Eaves... but they'll probably want you to call them _Sir_ and_ Madam_." she said, amused.

"I've been informed." Luka quietly responded, feeling ever more out of place. She had never been good with people; she said the wrong things. It was rare to meet a person you'd like to speak with again, rarer still that you did. She wasn't sure if Gakupo and Prima fell into these few, but she'd surely be conversing with them again. Yet, it all felt staged. It seemed every inch of the estate was judging her, with one manicured finger poised on the button to release the hounds.

* * *

This story is a collaboration- can you tell who wrote what? Anonymous reviews are accepted, so please click that button and tell us what you think, or anything you're hoping to see.


	2. Potential President's Son

Crumbling At Your Heels Chapter 2

* * *

_'Someone shoot me.'_ Luka thought sourly as she dropped yet another glass of Gakupo's favorite elixir, the second one this morning. The man seemed to enjoy his morning champange, but she messed up yet again when delivering it to him. Why was she so nervous? She felt crushed under the weight of the Eaves Estate and its trimmings.

The young woman certainly didn't expect to become a house-wide lackey when she applied to her job, but it seemed she now had a multitude of unusual chores upon her shoulders. These included keeping doors locked, scanning the security cameras in case of any suspicious characters, and apparently waiting on the every whim of whoever occupied this house.

What did they have to hide?

"Luka, is that you? I have something I need you to do." called the unmistakable voice of Prima. Luka tried her hardest to mop up the remaining liquid from the floor, but was it no use; the napkins were sodden.

"Oh, you're... busy." She looked down upon Luka with a cold stare, "Well, come see me when you are done."

Luka sighed softly to herself. _'And everyone is so nasty here!' _

"And Luka, make that two glasses." Gakupo's voice droned from a nearby room.

_'Just kill me.'_

By the time Luka had prepared Gakupo's request, he already thought of another task. "_Oh_, thank you Luka. Would you mind finding me the paper?" A rhetorical question, of course. He wasn't doing anything important, but walking down a few halls was unfathomable, it seemed.

"Certainly, _Sir_." Luka said, not attempting to hide the disdain in her voice.

"Now, don't say that." he chuckled at Luka, sweeping aside a stray lock of his hair. "You must want to know what's going on out there too, right?"

Luka turned around silently. It didn't really matter to her, know that she considered it. There was no one she cared for out there- or in here. The mansion had a complex design with hallways that always seemed to lead back to an earlier one. The best way to tell where you were going was watching the changing design themes. Classical French there, Art Deco there...

The paper's headlines read:

"Cure for 0HZ In Sight?" Meet the duo who are making a breakthrough pages 2-3A

"Pre-Election Polls Show Favor for the Young Newcomer" Hatsune vs Kamui pages 1-3B

"Idol No More!" Who will pick up the rock? page 3E

Luka mused over the black print on the pages she returned to Gakupo. _'Gosh, who was going to read this bollocks?'_

_'The paper is always trying to stir up hope for the "cure". Always highlighting some new scientist, whatever. And what are people doing out there, still talking about that dead singer, Mika, or whoever... But that article on the election, _that_ could be interesting.' _

"May I have the paper?" Gakupo snapped Luka out of her trance,

_'Guess I'll read it later.. if I can.'_

It really sunk in a few minutes later, as Luka half-heartedly looked for Prima. Gakupo's father was running for president. Well, she had heard the name before, and Prima had mentioned politics... That explained what he was doing in a ridiculously rich place like the Eaves estate. Oh well, she had never followed things like that before- it had seemed uninteresting. It was a little different when she knew she had just been serving the potential president's son.

Prima's voice rang out from someplace indiscernible.  
"Lu_uu_ka? Could you make me tea? Vanilla, no cream, as usual..."

* * *

"How's your father doing?" Prima asked suddenly, interrupting the silence in the evening air the two were enjoying on the balcony. Gakupo sighed heavily. It was well known between them that his father was a constant source of stress for the young man, but every once in a while Prima brought it up.

"As good as he is always doing, I suppose... which isn't well at all." Gakupo stated softly.

"Has he made more enemies?"

"Well, it wouldn't be my father if he hasn't."

"..."

"..."

"... Do you think he worries about you, as you do for him?"

"Prima! Don't utter such nonsense, I feel nothing for him and that feeling is mutual."

His sudden harshness made even the hidden third party flinch. Luka stood very still behind the curtained door of the balcony, she had never heard them quarrel so over the mention of Mr Kamui. What was a pleasant conversation on the terrace turned far too suddenly to bitterness for Luka to comprehend. They would never include her in discussions like this. The very words seemed laced in secrecy.

She softly stepped away from their conversation with just as much skill that she used while eavesdropping. The mansion had become a safe haven for her, despite the multitude of jobs that came with the protection. She thought she was safe, at least from the sickness, but what if it was all an illusion?

Were there were more important things she had to fear, more important than a world plague, more important than champagne flutes?

* * *

"Ahahah, we're in the paper! Many papers! We're in the news! _Look_, everyone's been emailing me about it! Here-"

"I see. That's great, Neru." Len Kagamine leaned over his partner's shoulder, scanning the text that yet again informed them of their sudden fame. "It's not exactly true, though. It was only one interviewer, and their story just-"

"Shut up." Neru Akita spun around in her office chair, legs crossed and hands re-adjusting her ponytail. "You might not have a clue whatever the hell you're doing, but I deserve this. I'm making a difference in this world, and you know you'll never come close, so just enjoy the benefits of being associated with_ me_."

"Uh..." He trailed off, averting his gaze from Neru's glare. "Fine. You can think what you want." he shuffled over to a nearby table, laden with documents and crushed styrofoam coffee cups. He began to stack the garbage into an unstable tower, which promptly collapsed, sending a few cups off the table and onto the tiled floor.

"Oh, honey," Neru sighed into Len's ear, as she wrapped her arms around his torso, "maybe someday you'll be as good as me." She planted a single kiss on his lips. Len felt his face flush as he placed his hand tentatively on her thin hips, just as he was about to press back Neru backed her head away. "_Some_day." and with that she turned her heels and returned to her desk, a smile playing across her lips.

Len stared wistfully at her retreating form. _'Taunting me with her love, and yet puts herself out of reach. We could be so happy together... if only she could think of other things than pleasing her 'boss.'_

He was the only one that knew of her secret agenda, but he would never tell a soul. No matter how bad the situation seemed now, how poorly Neru treated him, it would be over... eventually. When this shady business was resolved, and she could turn her attention to him for more than a rushed moment.

"It all balanced out, with the journalists' exaggeration. I played my discoveries down, they played them up, so they're nearly correct. A cure is soon to come. It scares me a bit, knowing all these lives are in my hands. To save or sacrifice, at the right time."

Len felt the familiar uneasiness creep up his spine. He hated it when Neru spoke of her work like this- like she was a savior. Not even mentioning his assistance. But that was the usual.

She opened a few of her documents containing precious data, and slowly scrolled through them. "But it's not really me, with that responsibility. _Hatsune's_ the one who has to deal with it. When I've finished the cure, I'll give him that power in return for fame and fortune." Still staring at the monitor, she ventured another smile, albeit a sour one. "We'll be living it up, really. I'll be getting back to work now, so you can leave if you want."

Leave. To where? Len and Neru lived in this makeshift lab, a dingy bedroom and kitchen the only home-like components. It wasn't safe to go out. Good thing the papers hadn't mentioned even vaguely where they were working- the desperate victims would struggle to hunt them down, to buy their lives back. _'I couldn't handle it, turning them away.'_ Len mused, alone in their excuse for a bedroom. He sat hunched on the floor, between the off-color wall and their double bed. It wasn't much less comfortable than where he slept, anyhow. The cover were inevitably yanked to Neru's favor, but Len didn't mind. She was there beside him, frail and nearly innocent as she slept. He could savor the moments before he fell into his own slumber, with his arms holding Neru closer than she ever would allow during the day.

Meanwhile, Ms. Akita was re-reading what she had discovered about the virus so far, for the umpteenth time. After the dangerous work on live samples of the virus, which she received in her P.O. box from an ad she had placed in a few obscure magazines, after the hours upon hours of research and translating foreign articles and experimenting on insects and white mice and the octopus (which had recently died, unfortunately), she was on the edge of a breakthrough. Her technique for a potential vaccine was not unusual- weaken the virus, or preferably take only the antigens to stimulate the immune system, and the body will produce antibodies.

_'The world's rather lucky, actually.'_ she thought. _'the virus isn't mutating much, and it's still close enough to be covered by one correct vaccine.'_ It wasn't so easy. Every scientist on Earth was scrambling to save humanity, as the papers dramatized it. Some claimed to come close... but the 0hz virus didn't give up easily. Even weakened, it quickly killed her test subjects. The octopus' corpse floated in the murky fish tank, forgotten after her initial autopsy. (Muscles deteriorated enough to prevent respiration. Typical.)

One point of interest is that animals rarely contracted the disease on their own. It often took mulitiple injections for them to show symptoms- but she didn't have anything close enough to a human to help her. They would speak out and ruin it all, all Hatsune's plans and her benefits- the only person she would spend more than an interview with was Len.

She paused for a moment. "Len." she whispered, then shook her head as if to banish the thought. The boy would do it. He could speed the research up, so quickly to even find a cure by the end of the week. But that was not an option. Immoral. Wrong. '_Like everything I'm involved with already,'_ Mikuo Hatsune's vision always present in her head.

* * *

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